Summary
mdanter/ecc affected by timing vulnerability in cryptographic side-channels
phpecc, as used in all versions of mdanter/ecc, as well as paragonie/ecc before 2.0.1, has a branch-based timing leak in Point addition. (This Composer package is also known as phpecc/phpecc on GitHub, previously known as the Matyas Danter ECC library.)
Paragon Initiative Enterprises hard-forked phpecc/phpecc and discovered the issue in the original code, then released v2.0.1 which fixes the vulnerability. The upstream code is no longer maintained and remains vulnerable for all versions.
Impact
CVE-2024-33851 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-33851? CVE-2024-33851 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in paragonie/ecc (composer), affecting versions >= 0, < 2.0.1. It is fixed in 2.0.1.
- How severe is CVE-2024-33851? CVE-2024-33851 has a CVSS score of 4.3 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2024-33851?
paragonie/ecc(composer) (versions >= 0, < 2.0.1)mdanter/ecc(composer) (versions <= 1.0.0)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-33851? Yes. CVE-2024-33851 is fixed in 2.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-33851 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-33851 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2024-33851 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2024-33851? Upgrade
paragonie/eccto 2.0.1 or later.